Gone
by HighRoadS2
Summary: Sara is abducted and Grissom is the only one who can save her. But can he figure out the clues in time? GSR. NOW COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

**Story Name: Gone**

**Summary: Sara is abducted and Grissom is the only one who can save her. But can he figure out the clues in time? GSR.**

**Theme: Romance, Suspense, Angst**

**Dislcaimer: (Do I need one?) I don't own anything or anyone... blah, blah, blah... :D**

**Thanks for reading! This is my third attemp at a fic, and I hope I'm getting better. I don't know how often I'll be able to update, but stick with me.**

**Hope you like it and remember to review:D**

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Sara could feel her heart beat in her stomach as she was sprawled across the ground. Her eyes blinked open and the darkness penetrated them; a darkness so intense that she forgot for a moment what it was like to see light.

She sat up.

Where was she? Sara felt around for a door handle, hinges, a crack in the wall, anything. Then her hands bumped against something hard and smooth on the ground, and she picked it up. A flashlight.

The beam resounded off the walls as Sara hit the small button to turn it on, and she blinked a few times as to adjust her eyes to the sudden brightness.

She was in a small room about six feet wide by six feet long, and the walls and floor were bare and made of cement. _A storage closet?_ She guessed. But she was still confused; how did she get here? Sara thought back to where she was before waking up here. At home. In bed. Asleep. Alone. Maybe someone took her while she was sleeping? _No._ She thought. _I would have woken up._

But then… she had had tea before going to bed, and someone could have easily slipped something into it. But that would mean someone would have had to have been _inside_ her house.

The thought made her shiver.

To calm her pounding heart and her quickening breath, Sara stood up and decided to search for a way out, but when she turned around, the beam of her flashlight fell across something on the wall behind her. Writing. She swallowed hard and walked up to it.

_There is no reason._

_There is no way_

_To escape from here,_

_You're here to stay._

_Unless, of course_

_He comes around._

_The only one_

_Who can save you now._

The only sound was the echo of the flashlight hitting the hard floor.

* * *

The note was neatly folded in a small white envelope. There was nothing written on the outside and the letter was only eight lines long, typed, and sealed with tape.

Grissom fingered the note timidly, as if he knew that it held bad news, and opened it when he returned from the front desk to his office.

_I have something of yours._

_Would you like her back?_

_Just check your surroundings_

_And you'll be on the right track._

_But will it be too late?_

_Will she survive?_

_I've found the one thing_

_That will leave you deprived. _

What did this mean? Who was it from?

Grissom quickly stood up and walked out to the front desk. "Excuse me." he hurriedly asked the woman who sat behind it, "Can you tell me who delivered this?" He held up the envelope.

"It was a young boy – about seventeen or eighteen – he was dark-haired and dark-eyed. Didn't say his name, though."

"Anything else?"

"He… was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt, and had his left ear pierced." she ended this as a sort of question.

"Thank you." he headed toward the break room. _She._ His mind raced. _Who was 'she'?_ He couldn't think of anyone who was close enough to him that it would – that _could_ – 'leave him deprived'. Unless… one of his CSIs maybe? Catherine? Sara?

_Shit._

Grissom entered the break room and scanned it quickly. Nick. Greg. Warrick. Catherine.

But no Sara.

He checked his watch. It read 10:24 pm. That meant either Sara was late or she just wasn't in the break room.

But Sara was never late.

"Have any of you seen Sara yet?" Grissom asked the four in the room.

"Nope, not yet." Nick answered. "Weird, isn't it? She's usually half an hour early, not half an hour late."

"Or maybe she isn't late." Grissom stated solemnly.

"What?" the question came from Greg, and he was answered with Grissom handing him the letter.

"What's this?"

"Read it."

The other three gathered around Greg and read it silently as well.

"Y-You mean… someone _kidnapped_ her?" asked Warrick.

"Possibly."

"… 'Just check your surroundings'? What the hell does that mean?" Catherine asked no one in particular.

"I don't know." Grissom said sternly. "But I'm going to find out."

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**I hope you liked it! Please review, because those are the things that make me keep wanting to write. Thank you!!**

**xoxo Jess**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, well here's the next chapter! I'm really sorry it's short, and also the story is going kind of slow, but I promise I'll pick up the pace! This is just one of those leading-into-something-big chapters. Oops! Spoiler! That's ok. Hope you like it and remember to review:D**

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The coolness of the floor against her back felt nice – comforting almost. But it didn't help the feeling of dread welling up in her stomach.

Sara silently wondered how long she had been here. Three hours? Four? She had no way of knowing.

Earlier, she had discovered that there was, in fact, no way of getting out of here – wherever "here" was. She didn't even know if she was still in Las Vegas. Hell, she didn't know if she was still in Nevada! All there was in the small room was cold, hard cement, the outline of a tightly shut door, and that awful writing. Sara had tried banging on the door and yelling for help, but it didn't seem do anything.

Wherever she was there definitely weren't many people.

"Why?" Sara asked into the darkness. She wracked her brain for someone who would want to do this to her. A suspect from a case, maybe? Someone she had once sent to jail? It seemed plausible, but then, anything did at this point. Maybe it was a cruel joke being played by Greg? Maybe he would come and surprise her soon? She laughed out loud at how ridiculous the idea was, but the laughter quickly faded into the darkness.

All she could do was wait.

* * *

Grissom had tried Sara's cell over and over again for the past few hours, but every time her voice mail picked it up: "Hey, it's Sara. I'm not here to answer the phone, so leave your name and number and I'll call back as soon as I can! _Beep". _She sounded so happy, so carefree, and it made him wonder what she was feeling right now. Pain? Sadness? Confusion? Nothing…?

He closed his eyes at the thought. If he emptied his mind of everything and focused on the task at hand, it was possible that he could figure this out quicker.

Grissom started with the boy who had delivered the letter. He searched through the tape of the video camera that sat above the front desk – a sure thing to catch anyone who came in.

"There." Grissom said under his breath, pressing the pause button so that the big screen in front of him froze right at the moment the boy walked up. He matched the description of the person the woman who managed the desk said: late teens, dark features, wearing street clothes, and a piercing in his left ear.

Now all Grissom had to do was find him.

"Hey, Gil?" Grissom turned around, and looked wearily up at Conrad Ecklie standing in the doorway.

"Yes?"

"I–I heard about Sara. I'm sorry. It must be hard on you."

Suddenly a large lump rose in Grissom's throat, and he tried to swallow it. Nodding faintly, he turned to face the computer again.

"If you need anyone from the day shift—" Ecklie started.

"We'll be fine." Grissom cut him off, his voice cracking. He didn't want to deal with him right now. _Just leave me alone. Please. _He pleaded silently. And, as if Ecklie heard him, he left the doorway.

Grissom slowly looked back up at the still figure on the screen and noticed something – a logo of some sort on the front of the boy's shirt. Zooming in, he realized it was the logo of a coffee place just down the street from the lab. A place called "Just Java".

Finally. A lead. His heart started to beat a little faster; maybe this would help him find Sara? He didn't know.

But he sure as hell hoped so.

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**Thanks for reading!**

**xoxo Jess**


	3. Chapter 3

**Phew! Ok, here's chapter three!! Sorry it took so long, but like I said, I'm not going to be able to update too often. This chapter didn't turn out like I planned, but I promise the story will get more intense. Hopefully. :P:D**

**A special thanks to anniehiltner and Abster1 for your wonderful reviews, and of course everyone else who has reviewed! I love y'all.**

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Just Java was a small, crowded shop about four blocks away from the lab. Grissom wasted no time getting there, and, armed with several video camera print-outs of the boy and a thousand questions, he almost felt confident.

After pushing open the glass door and quickly glancing around the small room, Grissom strode up to a small blonde behind the front counter.

"What can I get for you today, sir?" she asked him politely, her pencil hovering over a small notebook.

"Nothing, except for this man." Grissom told her, showing her a zoomed-up picture of the boy's face.

"You mean Tobi?"

"If Tobi is this boy in the picture, then yes."

"Yeah… is he in some sort of trouble?"

"I think he may have had something to do with a kidnapping." Grissom replied, flashing his CSI badge.

"Ok. J-Just a second." she left him and went through a door behind her – presumably leading to were the majority of the employees worked – and came back moments later with Tobi following her.

"This is Tobi." she told Grissom. Grissom nodded his thanks and then handed Tobi the picture of himself.

"Can you tell me where you are here?" Grissom asked him.

"Uhh… yeah. I was at that police place, just down the street."

"Yesterday?"

"Yeah."

"And what were you doing there?"

"I was dropping something off."

"What were you dropping off?"

"I dunno. An envelope I think."

"So… you don't know exactly what it was?"

"Nope. I found it taped to my car after I got off work, it was with this—" He fumbled in his jeans pocket for something, slowly pulled out another letter, and handed it to Grissom.

_Deliver this to the crime lab today. Do not tell anyone. Do not show anyone. Do not read or open this. If you fail to comply, you will be killed._

"So, you were just following an order that this letter gave you?"

"Yep. I didn't know what else to do, and besides, it was on my way home. What's this all about, anyway?"

"There has been a kidnapping. The letter you gave the crime lab informed us of that."

"Oh… sorry."

Grissom nodded. "May I see your car? The one that this was taped to?" he asked Tobi, holding up the letter.

"Yeah, whatever." He led Grissom outside and across the small parking lot, toward a black Ford. "It was taped here." Tobi told him, pointing to a spot just to the right of the driver's door handle.

"Thank you." Grissom replied, and bent down to study the car. He couldn't tell if there was anything worth looking at, but quickly pulled out his 35-mm camera and snapped several pictures.

"That should do it. Since I may have more questions in the future, is there any way I'll be able to contact you?"

"Yeah, I can give you my cell number." Tobi answered, then scrawled it onto a gum wrapper from his pocket.

"Thank you." Grissom replied, and then started back toward his own SUV.

"You'll find her. I know you will." Tobi said quietly from behind him.

Grissom wheeled back around. "H-her? I don't think I specified—"

"It was obvious. Your face, the way you spoke. I could just… tell, I guess. You must really care for her." Grissom thought he saw Tobi blush faintly, but dismissed it and left the lot.

* * *

When he got back to the lab, Grissom noticed that it was unusually quiet for this time of morning, but he thought it better this way; easier to think, to sort things out.

"Hey, Gris! Hey! Grissom!" he turned around to see Greg running after him.

"Greg, wha—"

"I found another…" Greg bent over and took a deep breath. "Me and Nick were at Sara's apartment to see if she was there."

"And was she?"

"No. But that's not my point. Just—just take this." he said, still panting, and handed another white envelope to him.

Grissom opened it slowly, timidly, and slid the small piece of paper out.

_I knew you'd find this._

_I knew you'd be here._

_But too bad you're wrong._

_And I'm sure she's in tears._

_With her life flashing before her,_

_What can you do?_

_Just remember, of course, _

_That I already gave you a clue._

"No…" he whispered.

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**Thanks again everyone! Please review if you have time:D**

**xoxo Jess**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok, here's the next chapter! I know it's been a while since an update and I apologize, but I promise not to give up on this story:D**

**Enjoy!!**

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Her mouth was dry now, and she could feel her stomach gnawing at itself. Sara could have sworn Doc Robbins said something about this once; what was it? He had said death came in three's. Yes. Three minutes without air, three days without water, and three weeks without food. Luckily for her, Sara figured she had only been in this… situation… for a day or so. She still had time.

Sara sat up in the darkness and rubbed the side of her head that she had slept on. How much longer would she be here? For all she knew she'd been left to die.

_No. Don't go there._

Her mind was working overtime trying to process everything that had happened to her in the last twenty-four hours. Sara felt as if she'd been to hell and back, but she quickly figured that that feeling was from the lack of food.

Man was she hungry.

Sara stood up and started to walk in circles._ Oh god. _She thought, panicking slightly. _I _am _going crazy. _She almost started crying out of frustration, but was calmed by a cool breeze that hit her face.

_Wait… a breeze?_

Sara quickly felt around for the dropped flashlight and clicked it on, pointing it toward the source of the draft.

It was an air vent in the side of the wall. "Oh my god." Her voice resounded off the stone walls as she walked up to the it. Though it wasn't very big – probably three feet wide by three feet tall – she knew she could easily fit into it.

Sara quickly unlatched the grate and shone her flashlight into the tunnel. Blackness.

But, it was hope.

Sara's mind immediately started formulating a plan.

_Since this has to lead somewhere, I could crawl though it and… I'll bet I could find another air vent that this one ends up at, and then I could crawl out of that and – _"Oh my god." Sara repeated. "This is insane." She looked back around the small room, silently begging it for some other way – any other way – to escape, but there was none. This was her only choice. She had to go through with it.

Taking a deep breath, Sara stooped down and started to slowly crawl through the tunnel. She ignored the voice that told her to turn around and kept moving, holding the flashlight in front to guide her.

No turning back now.

* * *

Grissom hadn't cried since his father died when he was ten, and he promised himself he never would again. But now he stood, leaning over the sink in the lab's bathroom, pinching the bridge of his nose, hoping that might stop the tears.

_I shouldn't be doing this. _Grissom suddenly realized. He was a forensic scientist and emotions wouldn't help find Sara. He needed to get back out there and review the evidence again.

Grissom turned the faucet on and splashed cool water on his face, then after wiping it off he quickly marched out of the bathroom.

"Greg." He said, walking into the lab. Greg looked up from a microscope. "Have you and Nick fingerprinted Sara's apartment yet?"

"Uh… we did around where the note was found."

"That's not good enough. I need you to fingerprint everything you think the kidnapper might have touched. Doorknobs, counters, the coffee table, everything. And have you printed the letters yet?"  
"Of course. That was the first thing I did."

"Good. Now where's Catherine and Warrick?"

"Out on another case."

"What?"

"They're–"

"They need to be working on this one." Grissom stopped and pinched the bridge of his nose again. "This should be– no. This _is_ the most important case in the lab. Get them in here, _now_."

"Yes, sir." Greg immediately paged them.

"Greg," Grissom started, "I don't think you realize the importance of this case. Sara has been _abducted_. Do you know that?" He looked at Greg incredulously.

"Grissom, I know. I do. I don't think _you_ realize, though," he paused for a moment, contemplating his words, "that you're not the only one who cares for her. We all do." He finished quietly.

Grissom stared at him for a moment, his mouth open slightly. He felt as if he had been slapped across the face, but he knew that Greg was right. "I know. I apologize."

Greg nodded. "Hey." Grissom looked back at him. "Sara's tough. She'll be ok."

"I know she will."

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**To be continued!!! (Of course...) Reviews are always loved:D**

**xoxo Jess**


	5. Chapter 5

**What? A new chapter?**

**Yes, my friends, here - finally - is chapter five. A very special thank you to JavaJunkie-GSR for all her encouragement and help (without her, there would be no chapter five yet) and also to those who are still reading this fic! You all rock!**

**So, without further adieu...**

* * *

Sara was trying to focus on counting her breaths as she crawled slowly along the dark passageway; it kept her from thinking of something – anything – else.

Although she had no idea where she was or where she was going, Sara felt as if she had accomplished something, just by figuring out how to escape from that room. Even if it meant crawling through this claustrophobic hell chamber.

Sara wracked her mind for an idea of where she might be. "Let's see…" she said aloud, just to have something to listen to. "Most warehouses have big ventilation systems like this, and so do some office buildings." This made her remember a case the team once did on a man who was killed by a hammer dropped by a janitor who was working on an air vent in a building downtown. She smiled, feeling like all her memories of working at the lab were far away.

Wait… the lab had a ventilation system, didn't it? Sara stopped crawling for a moment and considered this. She remembered that the crime lab had giant silver air vents running along some of the walls and ceilings, about the size of the one she was in. _What if I'm in the lab?_ She clicked on the flashlight and shone it all around her, looking for some sign that that was where she was, but nothing stood out. Putting the flashlight back in her pocket, Sara started crawling with a renewed confidence. Maybe this idea had been a good one, after all.

* * *

Grissom looked at the evidence spread out on the illuminated table around him. There were three small white envelopes and three matching notes, and a couple unidentified partial fingerprints Nick had gotten from Sara's apartment. It wasn't much, but for Grissom, it was enough. 

As the team trickled in one by one, they too joined Grissom around the table. "Sara," he started when all four had come in, "has, as you know, been kidnapped. We have two letters giving us 'clues' as to her whereabouts, one letter from the abductor to a man named Tobi who works at a coffee house ordering him to deliver the letter here, and two unidentified partials Nick was able to retrieve from Sara's apartment."

"You know," Nick cut Grissom off, "those partials aren't necessarily unidentified. You didn't give me a change to run them through AFIS, so—"

"You haven't run them yet?" Grissom looked at him, bewildered.

"You called us to this meeting before I could—"

"Here, run them _now_." Grissom shoved the bag into his hands and turned back toward the rest of the group. Nick shrugged and walked off.

"Now, while Nick's doing that, we need to figure out the clues in these two letters. In the second one, the kidnapper says that 'he already gave us a clue'. Our job is to find it. Now—" Grissom picked up the first note, which was protected by a plastic bag, and read it aloud.

"I have something of yours. Would you like her back? Just check your surroundings, and you'll be on the right track. But will it be too late? Will she survive? I've found the one thing that will leave you deprived."

"You know," Catherine started, "he says to 'check your surroundings'. Does that mean for more clues, or for Sara?"

"I don't know." Grissom replied, looking at the note as if searching for another hint.

"Well, if it means to check our surroundings for Sara, she could be…" Warrick paused and looked around. "Here."

"Here? At the lab?" Greg looked at him incredulously. "If she's here, then we're not very good investigators."

"Warrick has a point, though. She could be locked in a storage closet, for all we know." Catherine consented. All four paused to consider this.

"Grissom! Gris!" Nick suddenly came sprinting back into the room, carrying what looked like an AFIS report.

"Nick? What are you—"

"AFIS. I got a hit on those partials."

"Whose are they?" Catherine asked hurriedly.

"You'll never believe it."

"Tell us, Nick!"

"Ok, ok. The report says that they're Dr. Vincent Lurie's."

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**What did you think? Let me know:)**

**xoxo Jess**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright, here's chapter six! I'm pretty proud of my writing lately, just because I've had tons of ideas about this fic and where it should go. I seriously could not have written these chapters, though, without JavaJunkie-GSR! She's definitely been a huge help with ideas and support, and I thank you (again)! You rock!**

**Happy reading!**

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Grissom stared blatantly at the man sitting across from him. Dr. Vincent Lurie was a man whose face you never forgot, really. Grissom remembered those dark eyes, eyes that seemed as if they were always hiding something behind them. His cheekbones were well-rounded, but his pointed nose threw off the whole proportion. Lurie looked scruffier now though; his beard was slightly longer, his hands were dry and chapped, and the wrinkles below his eyes and on his forehead were more defined.

_Ass._ Grissom thought. Whatever had happened to him in prison after the Debbie Marlin case, he deserved it. All of it. He silently wondered, though, how he had managed to get out of jail and kidnap Sara. Had he escaped?

_Most likely. Asshole._ Grissom was mad. No, he was beyond mad.

"Why?" Grissom chocked out suddenly, surprising himself.

"What?" Lurie asked him, startled as well.

"Why did you do it?" Grissom said, more forcefully.

"Do what? I've been in prison for the past three years."

"You know what. Now tell me why. Why did you take Sara? What did she ever do to you?" Grissom's voice shook with fury. Slowly, Lurie leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head.

"Sara? The brunette that looked like—"

"Yes. I know you saw her the day you were arrested."

"Yeah. She was hot."

Grissom blinked. "Dr. Lurie, Sara could have been Debbie Marlin's twin." Lurie grimaced when he said Debbie's name, but shook it off quickly.

"I didn't take her."

Grissom gritted his teeth. "We know you did. We found your fingerprints—" he slid the pictures of the enlarged prints across the table to Lurie, "—at Sara's apartment. They were on the coffee table, right next to the kidnapper's note we also found. Explain that." Lurie looked helplessly down at the photographs and then slowly back up at Grissom.

"Do you want to know what happened?" Lurie's eyes bore into Grissom's, penetrating him so that Grissom almost shook, but refrained himself.

"You think I don't?" his words were a mere whisper now, and he leaned forward expectantly.

"Because of you. Because of what you said. Because of what you wanted, what you _needed_."

"And what's that?" Grissom's heart was pounding for no apparent reason.

"Her."

Silence filled the room as Grissom absorbed what had just been said. He blinked rapidly as if he had just taken a blow to the face, and sat back.

"But, why…?"

"So you would see that you needed her. Honestly? I just didn't want you to end up like me."

All of the sudden, Grissom was on the other side of the table and had Lurie pinned against the wall by his shirt collar. "And you thought that kidnapping her was the best way to do it?" he hissed, his face centimeters from Lurie's.

"I didn't… I don't—"

"Where the _hell_ is she, dammit?!" Grissom knew he was nearly choking Lurie, and in a minute or two the officer standing guard at the door would make him put Lurie down, but he didn't care. "Tell me! NOW!"

"She's… she's—" Lurie was suddenly interrupted by a loud bang from overhead. Both men looked up, wondering what that was, then Lurie looked back at Grissom, smiling.

"Smart girl."

Grissom blinked. He couldn't have.

"You mean she's…" Grissom looked up again. "All this time she was…" Lurie started to laugh. His laugh was that of a crazy man, and Grissom ordered the officer to take him back to his cell. He then sat back down and put his face in his hands; he could already feel a migraine coming on.

Closing his tired eyes, Grissom remembered that day.

_"…It's sad isn't it Doc? Guys like us. A couple of middle aged men who have allowed their work to consume their lives… The only time we ever touch other people is when we're wearing our latex gloves… We wake up one day and realize that for fifty years we haven't really lived at all… Then all of a sudden we get a second chance… Somebody young and beautiful shows up, somebody, we could care about… She offers us a new life with her, but we have a big decision to make, right? Because we have to risk everything we've worked for in order to have her… I couldn't do it. But you did. You risked it all. And she showed you a wonderful life didn't she? But then she took it away and gave it somebody else, and you were lost… So you took her life… You killed them both and now you have nothing." Grissom looked up at Lurie, feeling as if he'd just revealed his world to a complete stranger, yet somehow he felt as they had some sort of odd connection.  
_

_"I'm still here." Lurie's face was expressionless, but Grissom knew he was dying inside._

_"Are you?"_

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**Reviews?**

**xoxo Jess**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is the last chapter of "Gone"! I hope you all like it! Though this is technically the last chapter, I'm planning on writing an epilogue, so if you want to stick around for that, that would be great! Thank you so much to all of you faithful readers, and I'm so sorry this fic took so long to finish!**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

The hallway seemed as if it stretched on forever. Grissom clutched his head as he made his way down it, and he blinked furiously, trying to keep hold of his unsteady body. Everything was blurry, and he knew he needed to get inside his cool, dark office before he collapsed. 

Grunting as he pushed the door open, Grissom sighed heavily, relieved to be in the muted light of his office, and he sank slowly into his chair. He had already sent out a page to his entire team telling them to meet him there, and he now waited feverishly for them to arrive.

"Gil!" Catherine was the first there, followed quickly by Nick and Greg. "What's going on? Your page said it was urgent. Did you find Sara?" She finished as Warrick came in behind them. Her breaths came quickly, as if she had sprinted there.

"Not yet." Grissom tone was serious as he looked up at his team. "But I know where we can find her."

"Where?!"

"Here. You were right. When I was with Dr. Lurie we heard a loud bang above our heads, it was almost if—"

"Some one was in the air ducts!" Greg finished for him. His eyes widened as Grissom nodded grimly.

"Now, I need you and Nick to figure out how to get into the vent and—"

"Whoa, whoa, what?!" Greg asked, holding his hands up defensively. "What do you mean—"

"Just do it, Greg." Grissom told him, his eyes cold. Greg paled slightly, then nodded to Nick. "Let's go. I mean, it's for Sara…" his voice trailed off as they jogged down the hallway.

"And Cath? You and Warrick contact Brass. Tell him everything. He can get in touch with the police from there."

"Okay." Was all she said, and the two left hurriedly.

Again left alone, Grissom took a moment and sat back in his chair, looking up at the air vent in his office. "Oh, Sara…" his heart ached for her, and he wondered what she was feeling at that moment. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and told himself to hold it together. They'd find her.

* * *

The limited space in the air duct had left Sara breathing heavily. Damp strands of hair clung to the sides of her face and she could feel a trickle of sweat running down her spine. Her limbs felt numb from crawling through the dark tunnel for what seemed like hours, and she hoped that she would soon come upon another vent to escape through. 

Her eyes had well adjusted to the relentless dark by now, but as Sara made her way through the duct, she could have sworn it was getting lighter every second.

That's when she saw it. There was a vent about twenty yards from where she was, and it was giving off just enough light for her to see it. She began to crawl more quickly toward it, and as Sara came upon it she pushed on it.

It didn't move.

Sara pushed again, this time harder, but it still wouldn't budge. Getting frustrated, Sara put her full body weight against it and nearly slammed herself into the vent, and this time it opened.

With her on top of it.

Sara fell through the vent as it swung open and landed with a dull thud on the floor twelve feet below. She briefly heard footsteps, someone was running toward her. She opened her eyes.

"Gri—Grissom?" Stars were now exploding before her and she blacked out, but not before feeling the figure pull her into his arms, and hearing his whispered word.

"Sara."

THE END.

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**Thank you again so much for sticking with me through this whole journey! You all mean a lot to me! And again, though this is the last chapter, there will be an epilogue!**

**xoxo Jess**


	8. Epilogue

**Hey everyone! So here is the final installment of this fic! It is the epilogue, and though the fic is technically over, this last part kind of wraps up what happened after chapter 7... or so I hope. :P**

**Anyways, thank you SO much to all of you kind readers who have stuck with me throughout this entire journey. I'm sorry that at some points it took so long to update, but now we're done! And a HUGE thank you to _JavaJunkie-GSR_ for all her help betaing and giving advice. You are AWESOME!**

**Happy reading!**

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Sara was awake, but she didn't open her eyes just yet. She could feel a warm hand closed around her own, and though she couldn't see who it was, she knew. She could smell the clean, male scent that was uniquely him, and could feel the warmth that emanated from his body, so close to hers. Sara breathed in deeply, and slowly opened her eyes. 

Grissom gazed at her, his eyes full of concern and something else… something she couldn't identify.

"Gris." she whispered, and sat up, pain shooting through her head; a migraine. "What happened?"

"You fell twelve feet onto the cement floor of my office and got a concussion. The nurse says you're going to be alright, though."

"How long was I out?" Sara blinked under the harsh hospital lights.

"A few hours. Are you ok?" he almost whispered the question, as if he was afraid of hurting her further.

"I think I have a migraine. But I'll be fi—"

"Here. This always helps me." He let go of her hand and sat on her bed so he was directly in front of her. He then raised both hands and started to massage her temples gently. Sara closed her eyes and let out a low moan. She was almost afraid to open her eyes again as she knew Grissom's face was only inches from hers. His warm breath again her cheek was evidence of that.

She did anyway and gasped at the strength of his gaze. He looked at her as if she was the only thing he could see, and Sara knew she was probably looking at him the same way. "Better?" he whispered, still looking straight at her.

"Yes." she breathed. Suddenly, a nurse walked in and ruined the moment.

"Ah, Miss Sidle. You're up! Feeling better?" she asked Sara, smiling innocently.

"Uh… yes. Yes, I am. Thank you." Sara cursed her shaking voice.

"Good. You'll be ready to go home in a few hours' time." She smiled again, and after taking Sara's blood pressure, she left.

"I should go, too." Grissom started. "You can have as many days off as you'd like, of course." he sighed deeply, then walked around to the window and gazed out at the bright Vegas night, then ran his fingers through his hair, almost in frustration. "Sara, I…" he trailed off, and looked at her with eyes that told her he wanted to say more, but couldn't.

"You what?" she said quietly, trying to urge him on.

"Never mind. I should get back home now. I'll see you later." He picked his jacket up off the chair next to Sara's bed and left hastily. Sara sat in shock, still looking after him. She hadn't expected him to leave so soon, or without finishing what he had wanted to say.

But that was the typical Grissom. No feelings, no emotion whatsoever. At least nothing outright; he was always hiding how he felt. Sure, she had thought that there had been a… a moment between them, before the nurse had come in. But had she imagined it? Sara sighed. She didn't want to think about this now. She settled back against the pillows, and, eventually, she drifted back off to sleep.

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Sara woke to the nurse from before coming back into her room.

"Good morning, Sunshine!" she said brightly, and Sara blinked in the morning light that streamed in through the window. "Are you going to be ready to leave today?"

"Yes, I will." Sara rubbed her eyes, thoughts of the previous night flooding back into her mind.

"Alrighty, you can go ahead and change back into your clothes and I'll be back with a wheelchair in about a half hour." she smiled, and started to walk back out of the room, but stopped herself. "Oh! And the man that visited you last night… Dr. Grissom?"

"Grissom, yes."

"He came back about two hours ago and dropped that off." she said, pointing to a white envelope sitting on the nightstand next to Sara's bed.

"Thank you." Sara replied as the nurse left. She looked skeptically at the envelope and frowned, then picked it up and turned it over in her hands. _The only way you'll know what this is about is to open it. _Sara told herself.

She slowly slid her finger under the envelope flap and pulled out a single white sheet of paper. She then unfolded it and read eight handwritten, solitary lines.

_I'm sorry it took so long_

_For me to see_

_What was always right_

_In front of me._

_But my arms are now wide open,_

_If it's what you want to do._

_For the one who holds my heart_

_Will always be you._

Sara felt as if all the air had been knocked from her. She read the note over and over again, reveling in how blatantly spelled out his feelings were. Had Grissom really written this? But she knew he had. He obviously hadn't been capable of voicing his feelings for her earlier, so he wrote her this. She smiled. Now_ this_ was the typical Grissom.

Putting the letter back on the nightstand, she caught a shadow out of the corner of her eye and looked up to find Grissom standing in her doorway, his arms folded, and looking at her as though he had never seen something quite like her. He smiled at her shyly.

She smiled back.

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**How about one more review?**

**xoxo Jess**


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